Monday, August 21, 2017

I just finished the main story for Stormblood, Final Fantasy XIV's recent addition to the game. There is so much to see and do in Stormblood and with two new job classes added, samurai and red mage there's even more fun to be had. Honestly, I loved that they added samurai. Bard and samurai were the first two job classes I ever played in Final Fantasy XI and I loved them so they hold a special place for me.

The new changes to bard are very welcome. I really did not like the way bard was because it didn't feel like bard to me. It felt like a ranger job class that occasionally played songs. Some skills are gone, but others have improved and now bard has actual songs in rotation. I'm especially pleased that I can play Mages Ballad to help fellow healers. I've been leveling samurai now that my bard is level 70 and I love it. Samurai is fun to play and I love all the skills that comes with it. I only unlocked the red mage job class and haven't really played on it yet, but from discussing it with friends who have they are enjoying it a lot.

Pirotess on samurai.

I think the main story for Stormblood really stands out because it has a rich tapestry of strong characters that are likable. I found myself caring about them a great deal and even had a couple of favorites. The voice acting for Stormblood is well done and the ones who stood out to me, I looked up to see who voiced them. I especially liked the voice actors for Lord Hien and Gosetsu. The music in Stormblood is incredible. It's awe inspiring, memorable, and definitely sets the scene for much of the dungeons, story, and boss battles.

Simply exploring the different cities and towns in Stormblood is fun in itself because it shows how much thought and care went into the designing of them. One of my favorite cities was Kugane because it was beautiful and the music for it was quite pretty. There are plenty of side quests in Stormblood also of course and much of it is fetch quests, but there's a little more depth to the quest givers and a little more story to them that makes it more interesting. There are also aether currents to find in the new areas so you can fly everywhere which for some quests makes things a lot easier.

Pirotess admiring the city of Kugane.

Following the main story there is also a pretty cool addition of being able to swim and dive underwater. You can explore underwater towns and there is a lot of underwater content as part of the main story and side quests. The art work and music for these areas is beautiful. I had so much fun in these areas with my friends and sometimes we would just take a break from adventuring and swim in the new areas. You can use your mounts underwater too which is nice.

Pirotess explores an underwater village.

The new dungeons in Stormblood are interesting. There are some I enjoyed and others I just could not stand because of how insane the amount of area of effect mechanics were. I'm not the best player to begin with, but I try my best so in many of these I died a lot because of the sheer number of AOE attacks and trying to dodge them. This was especially true for the damn primal fights. I truly hated them especially the final one. I don't like primal fights to begin with so having to do these for the first time was not fun for me. The final primal fight for me was the worst. I died many times and I was lucky enough to be running it with friends who knew that I was new to it and were patient about it. Perhaps Square Enix will nerf that fight later down the road, but for now it's challenging and will keep you on your toes.

Pirotess running a Stormblood dungeon.

The story in Stormblood kept me invested because it has great characters and great villains. I think my favorite villain was Zenos because he was so crazy, but there were layers to it. I couldn't stand him and for me that showed just how well he was written as a villain. His obsession with Pirotess and with violence were all kinds of disturbing, but damn did it add a great sense of urgency to the story.

Zenos is all kinds of crazy, but what a great villain.

I kept going with Stormblood because I loved the story and I had to know what happened next. Stormblood did seem like it was over too soon, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Stormblood itself is amazing because of the great story, the characters, and the themes it explored such as freedom, the bonds between us, and choosing your own path. With incredible music, emotionally moving cutscenes, and great acting Stormblood has all the bells and whistles and more.

Pirotess celebrating with her friends.

*Stormblood is playable on the following platforms: Microsoft Windows and Playstation4

* I will be doing more Adventures of Pirotess as requested. Thanks for reading!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

One of the things that I love about Final Fantasy XIV is that there are a lot of great seasonal events. These give you a nice break from adventuring and allow you to just have fun with your friends enjoying everything and getting some pretty nice items from the event quests.

The Moonfire Faire started on August 8th and the event is running until August 26th. I had fun doing this one because it celebrates Summer at the beach in Costa del Sol with fireworks, swimming, and items like the Faire Joi swimsuit. I had a blast doing it with my friends Sekilini and Neji.

The way to start the quest is by going to Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks at x11.5 y13.8 on your map. This gives you the Isle and the Faire quest which takes you to Costa Del Sol. All the towns are decorated for Moonfire Faire and having fireworks. I stopped and checked out all the terrific decorations and enjoyed the fireworks too.

Pirotess watches the fireworks in Limsa Lominsa.

When you get to Costal Del Sol there are two quests you can do for the event that earn you Faire vouchers that you can trade to an NPC for prizes. One quest has you swimming around in the water looking for mortars to light fireworks. The other quest has you delivering battered fish to an NPC vendor. If you aren't a culinarian like me, you can either buy them from the market or have a friend make them for you. I was very lucky that my friend Sekilini crafted some fish for us to trade.

Pirotess lights a mortar and enjoys the fireworks.

When you do these quests you earn Faire vouchers which you can trade for items. You need 7 for the Faire Joi swimsuite. Make sure you also do the True Meaning of Summer quest for a hilarious discovery about the people running the event. The swimsuit is the big thing, but you can get other items also with the Faire vouchers you earn since the quests are repeatable. The ones that are worth getting are the shaved ice, the Moonfire Faire poster, and the Hyper Rainbow Z Orchestration scroll.

Other items you can get are sparklers and a variety of mini fireworks.

Pirotess celebrates in her Fair Joi swimsuit with sparklers.

It's definitely more fun to do this with friends. Sekilini, Neji, and I had fun doing this together. Afterwards, we just ran all over the beach and swam around in the water. We also did a lot of the float emote which was amusing. The Moonfire Faire is a relaxing event that allows you to have fun and goof off with your friends. It's a great way to celebrate Summer, fun, and friends in the game.

Pirotess, Neji, and Sekilini enjoying the Moonfire Faire.

*Moonfire Faire 2017 is August 8-August 26.

*Final Fantasy XIV is available to play on the following platforms: Microsoft Windows and Playstation4

About Me

I'm married and a mother, but manage to find time for my gaming, writing, and film viewing. I'm also a huge nerd when it comes to anything with Hello Kitty or giant robots. It's a living. Mother Gamer is just my opinion about my personal gaming experience and other nerdy things I love. You may not agree and that's okay. Variety is what makes the world an awesome place. Happy gaming!